The Acer N30 PDA is, for me at least, an ideal buddy for the travelling businessman. It is very good at what it does, and does what it does well, but a niggling factor for me is that it is not quite what it is marketed as.
The N30 is supposedly a 'Wireless Wonder' that can wirelessly connect ... Read review
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This Brand New replacement battery is equivalent to your original battery. Manufactured ... more
with top quality cells using the most up-to-date technology to give a long lasting charge with no memory effect.All our Batteries conform to ISO9001, RoHS and CE certification. All our prices include VAT and you will receive a VAT invoice.CodeCS-N30SLTypeLithium-ionVoltage3.7Capac ity900mAhWarranty12 MonthsEquivalent Battery Codes :20-00598-02A-EM
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Handheld - 64 MB, 128 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA272 - Infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition
Handheld - 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: S3C2410 - Infrared - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium, Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition
Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 4 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
Advantages: Brilliant as a portable multimedia machine Disadvantages: Bundled carry case, soft plastic surround
The Acer N30 PDA is, for me at least, an ideal buddy for the travelling businessman. It is very good at what it does, and does what it does well, but a niggling factor for me is that it is not quite what it is marketed as.
The N30 is supposedly a 'Wireless Wonder' that can wirelessly connect to any computer, anywhere, but this is not really true. Below are its main features, some of which I will come to later on:
**Hardware** ...the box**
- Acer N30 PDA
- Quick-start Instruction manual (covers the obvious bits - charging, turning on etc)
- Soft Carry case
- Windows driver CD for image uploads
- USB Connector lead
- Charging plug/adapter
**In-Use**
The N30 is very light and pretty easy to use once you've had a play with it. Sometimes it goes on a 'go slow' where for some reason takes a pause before carrying out ... more
The Acer N30 PDA is, for me at least, an ideal buddy for the travelling businessman. It is very good at what it does, and does what it does well, but a niggling factor for me is that it is not quite what it is marketed as.
The N30 is supposedly a 'Wireless Wonder' that can wirelessly connect to any computer, anywhere, but this is not really true. Below are its main features, some of which I will come to later on:
**Hardware** - Wireless Bluetooth & IR - S.D. Card Expansion slot - Internal Speaker - 266 MHz Processor - 64MB RAM - 32MB Storage space - 3.5" LCD Screen
**Software** - Windows Mobile 2003 SE - Microsoft Pocket Word - Microsoft Pocket Excel - Microsoft Pocket Outlook - Windows Media Player - Handwriting Recognition software - Calculator - Solitaire, Ball-breaker games
**What's in the box** - Acer N30 PDA - Quick-start Instruction manual (covers the obvious bits - charging, turning on etc) - Soft Carry case - Windows driver CD for image uploads - USB Connector lead - Charging plug/adapter
**In-Use** The N30 is very light and pretty easy to use once you've had a play with it. Sometimes it goes on a 'go slow' where for some reason takes a pause before carrying out the task you asked it to do. It does however switch itself on and off almost instantly which is very nice when you want to start writing/typing straight away. It also has a very high quality colour screen that seems to render images perfectly, and is nice and bright too.
While this PDA features handwriting recognition I wouldn't say it is its best feature. The first few times you use it, it is still working out what you are trying to write (ie. Learning the patterns in your handwriting) and gets lots of words wrong. This does improve dramatically but it isn't perfect and I often find myself reading back text only to find silly errors (construction/constriction as an example). This is actually an error in the Windows software rather than a fault of Acer who have built a lovely machine which looks pretty good to boot!
As mentioned above, the PDA comes with a soft carry case (couldn't tell you what material) but I found this worse than useless as the N30 has slipped straight out of it on several occasions - once on a staircase where it proceeded to bounce its way all the way down the steps. Luckily, it survived but the reasonably soft plastic case is now cracked in two corners which I detract from its appearance for me. A decent case really is a must for this PDA so I invested in a very nice Piel Frama leather wallet which is also padded so will hopefully take any sudden knocks.
The PDA's best feature I would say is its ability to play music, watch videos and view photos. I have found that it's able to display images (still or moving) in as good quality as a full size PC and as long as you have the right software, you will be able to watch/hear/view pretty much any file while on the move. I'm sure this is where this machine excels itself - an added bonus of being able to write documents, play games and wirelessly connect to your computer………IF YOU DARE!!! One negative however is that the headphone port only accepts the smaller mobile phone (hands-free) headphones. This isn't too much of a problem for me as it means I only carry about one set of headphones but I realise some people may not like this.
**Wireless Modes** Now, as this PDA is marketed as a 'Wireless Wonder' (written in big ol' letters across the box), I feel that I should mention its wireless features specially. If you consider wireless to mean you can you it without being plugged in then yes, it is wireless. I feel however that wireless should mean connecting to other computers or networks. The N30 does not live up to this expectation.
Basically, the two on-board wireless features - Infra Red and Bluetooth - aren't anything special. Infra Red is basically redundant these days and Bluetooth has a fairly limited range. Now that wouldn't be so bad if you could easily connect to other machines but to use the Bluetooth, you have to purchase a Bluetooth adapter, install the correct software, set-up passwords and a few other settings and even after all this trouble, it's dead slow. Transferring even the smallest of files can take some time, so much so that you may as well plug the PDA into your computer directly.
One bonus of having Bluetooth I have noticed is being able to transfer files from some of the latest mobile phones which also use Bluetooth - more speed would be a bonus but there's nothing you can do about that.
Available separately is a GPS add-on which fills the S.D. expansion card slot but, I haven't had the need for a GPS system as of yet, so obviously haven't tried it. I would hope that this makes it more of a 'wireless wonder' but straight out of the box it isn't much use wirelessly.
Really, the lack of wireless connectivity isn't much of a problem to me as I don't need to use it in many different places, and plugging in to charge is always a good opportunity to transfer files anyway (it uses the same cable).
**Price & Summary** This PDA was £179.99 brand new when I bought it and I'd still stand by this as a pretty good price. However, with a bit of shopping around now you can probably get slightly better models for your money.
In summary, the screen is excellent, sound from the tiny speaker amazing (but don't expect any sort of bass) and the battery life is great - it'll quite easily outlast your phone and charges really quickly too!
I would definitely recommend it as long as you realise that while being to use it on the move, it will not act as wirelessly as Acer would have you think.
Advantages: very customisable Disadvantages: a little out of date (certainly not obsolite yet though)
I bought my acer PDA almost 3 years ago after looking through a variety of similarly priced PDAs, I think that because the brand is less well known it costs less for better specs but I'm not sure. All I know is that at the time every PDA with the same specs was twice the price. It's an increadible reliable piece of eqipment and brilliantly versatile too. It's stood up to the punishment of being bashed about inside a satchel and living inside a coat ... ...media on their PDA, the acer n30 runs windows mobile for pocket PC (2003) and uses either windows media player or pocket TV (included on acer instalation disk, it's worth about £10 or £15) to play media. Pocket TV plays pretty much all MPG or MPEG files you throw at it, windows media player is more limited for video but plays MP3 even when closed (handy to have trust me) For .avi .ogg or others I'd recommend going here http://www.download.com/Sompy-Media-Player/3640-2176_4-10518631.html?tag=ta ...
johnsearner 31.01.2007 (14.11.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Acer N30
Advantages: Light Weight, good design Disadvantages: Clock Speed, lack of a CF reader, headphone port is too small
Recently I purchased the Acer n30 PDA so I can have a Windows Mobile powered device and I wasn't disappointed. The device runs Windows Mobile 2003 edition which looks good and runs reasonably well but it is not without its faults. The device boasts Bluetooth support and a USB port feature. Bluetooth hasn't given me any issues and runs well (communicating with my phone and laptop with ease). The USB port is interesting and supports loads of common ... ...hard disks, and etc. (I've plugged a USB mouse, keyboard and a pen drive into the device). The USB port feature is only accessible through the USB host cable so you must have one to use this feature (it is supplied). The USB port doesn't support all devices- it didn't recognise my MP3 player.
The chassis is well-made, lightweight, and has buttons in the right places, although I nearly damages the speaker which is the middle "button" of the five ...
Fume 10.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Acer N30
Advantages: Slick, functional, and easy to use Disadvantages: A bit slow, no wifi, small memory
At first glance the Acer n30 looks the part, with a slick body casing, and the new Windows Mobile software 2003SE. However, given that this has been dubbed the "wireless wonder" by Acer, there are several annoying omissions.
The first of these is the lack of built-in wifi support. To use a wireless connection, you will need to purchase an SDIO card which has this functionality. Having said that the n30 seems to play well with most of the SD cards ... ...The look of the Acer n30 is very slick and professional, although as I have mentioned the casing is easy -- too easy in fact -- to damage.
Overall, I would say that the Acer n30 is a good bet for someone looking for a cheap pda, that will do the basic PIM functions, and if they are willing to treat it with respect it will last a long time. ...
robotii 03.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Acer N30
Advantages: Cheap, User friendly Disadvantages: low memory, no wi-fi, 2.5mm headphone jack
I purchased an acer N30 PDA about a year ago, it was the first pocket PC or PDA I'd ever bought, and I have to say I'd recommend it for a first time buyer.
The N30 isn't particularly expensive, certainly not for what you get, anyway.
So what do you get?
Well, the Acer N30 PDA comes with Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 (second edition), 64mb of installed RAM (not much, but there is a slot for SD memory cards), Bluetooth, Infared and 32MB of installed ... ...the target audience of the Acer N30 PDA are first time buyers; the device is easy to use and very good value for money.
If you're looking for a powerful PDA with lots of memory and additional features like a digital camera then the Acer N30 is not for you.
But if you want a simple cheap PDA then I would recommend the Acer N30. ...
chrislake 30.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Acer N30
Advantages: lightweight ,does the job Disadvantages: poor build quality
My two month old Acer n30 just died sat on my desk in it's proporta armoured case (this is a nice case). I returned it to expansys who returned it to Acer they said the reset button that is well recessed inside the case was damaged and therefore the warranty was void. This is nonsense.
This does not come with a cradle which is a great minus point, the cable is very flimsy and the metal contacts were bending before the thing died on me. I will say ...
ceejay01 28.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Acer N30
Advantages: lightweight and easy to use and transport in a pocket Disadvantages: not the easiest IR setup in the world
I got this to go with my acern30 PDA (have a look at my review if your thinking of getting a new PDA, I would recommend an acern30 to anyone) and was actually a little dissapointed. There's no mention of the fact that the IR (infrared) input on some devices just won't match up with the targus. It has a swiveling stick with the IR projector on one end but it has limited range in movement and won't actually turn to point at my PDA's IR port. I had to prop it up with book and things just to get it in the right possition. After I did though it worked perfectly and the keypad is easier on the fingers than a standard PC keyboard. I actually chose using my PDA and the targus to write essays instead of using the university PCs, so that'll give you an idea of how comfortable it is to use.
There's not much that I can put in the way ...
Advantages: Excellent sat-nav package at low price, well-spec'd handheld computer Disadvantages: Advertising unclear: hidden costs of full European package
When I decided too buy this product, I wasn't specifically looking for a handheld computer, I was after a decent (but inexpensive) GPS satellite navigation system; and the Acern35 is not only the cheapest GPS-equipped handheld, it's actually cheaper than most dedicated sat-nav systems, so the fact that this device functions as a computer with numerous other facilities is a pure bonus!
You can easily pay £400 for a dedicated portable sat-nav system like the Tom Tom Go, and similar amounts for sat-nav equipped handhelds, but the Acer can be had for as little as £240 brand new with full guarantee. You see already the main economic advantage, especially when you compare it to the four-figure sums that car manufacturers charge for built-in sat-nav systems....
The Acern35 is basically the n30 without BlueTooth capability ...
wmspillett 21.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Acer N35 GPS
Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium
Software
Backup/Restore Utility, Calculator, File Explorer, Pocket Internet Explorer, Solitaire, Microsoft Pocket Excel, Microsoft Pocket Outlook, Microsoft Pocket Word, MSN Messenger, Adobe Acrobat Reader for Pocket PC, Jawbreaker, Microsoft ActiveSync 3.7, Windows Media Player 9.0 for Pocket PC, Pictures, Microsoft Reader 2.0 for Pocket PC, Microsoft ActiveSync 3.7.1
Gps system
GPS Navigation
GPS receiver
Software Included
Destinator 3, PowerLOC Destinator 3
Manufacturer's product description
Boasting wireless convenience and abundant functionality housed in a slim and sophisticated chassis, the Acer n30 Handheld enhances work efficiency and provides value-added applications. With a high-brightness LCD screen providing crystal clear images, the n30 offers ultimate mobility while allowing you plenty of room to expand via its SD/MMC slot. Feather-light and exclusive, the Acer n30 places absolute power in the palm of your hand!
